A Cool, Clean Rain

Unniversary, Year 2

2011-06-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Well, happy Unniversary, Cowboy! It's been a year since we were supposed to be married.

What has happened in that time, now that I think about it:

1. The Cowboy went to Alaska, and, after a fantastic number of trials and tribulations, he's doing... ...okay. Environmental conditions are favorable, but the housing conditions are not so much. We will see what happens. We take it day by day and deal with each thing that comes up. The weather, however, is much nicer than it is down here, by normal standards. Not by my standards, because I think it's obvious to you that I prefer a wet, raining climate. But Southern Alaska is warm and sunny this time of year. And, I am told, beautiful. Thousands of my dear fir trees. Hills and valleys. More trees.
2. I was given a (small-scale) publishing proposal and that novel is almost finished. To my utter surprise, the man who is heading up this endeavor wrote to me last night with a proposal on the NEXT book. This time a fantasy for children with lots of pictures. The best part? It requires me to create some elf costumes and procure elf ears. This is because I will be the elf in all the pictures. It all began with me earning the nickname of "The Elven Princess of the Woodlands" last week and the publisher/director had some free time to cook up a "Cora Special" story.

So as the year is reaching the halfway point, the Cowboy and I still have places to go and things to do.

Unfortunately, the places do not yet include a wedding yet.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-05-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Jennifer Juniper, lilacs in her hair..."

Tangled.

"Are you taking pictures of that squirrel?"

"A whole bushel of apples..."

"Where rust doth destroy"

The dandy-lion. One of the many wonders of nature that amazes me no end.

The Four Seasons by Cora

2011-04-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Four Seasons.

Each year I watch my favorite tree. It's a yellow plum tree that grows by our driveway. The flowers are the most beautiful you've ever seen and smell like a warm spring day. This year it gave me a picture of a woman's life.

Spring is where life begins. A tiny bud forms on the tree - the woman as a baby. She grows until she bursts into the beautiful, delicate flower of a young woman. All through this growth, the flower experiences trials like frosts, storms, and strong winds. Each trial brings strength to will and limb, preparing her to bear the weight of Summer.

Ah, Summer for the tree. The Summer of life. This is where the flower's petals - a woman's youth - transforms into fruit, be it children or otherwise. She covers these seeds with her love and her own flesh. She shades them under her leaves. She feeds them, and they grow. The pain she experiences in this time of life is when an insect or bird comes and attacks her shield on what she holds dear. But she does not give up! Each hole pecked in her precious fruit she covers over with a sweet syrup that hardens into a stronger shield. In such a way, the woman must cover wounds with sweet forgiveness and become yet stronger. She gives of herself for the sake of her precious seed. Then at the proper time comes the Autumn of the woman's life.

Leaves begin to turn as Autumn arrives for my plum tree, and with it the loss of the fruit on the tree. Children grow up and leave to start new lives and families. The woman hopes she has protected them so that they would survive. They are surrounded by their mother's love and care, giving them the power to grow on their own. She hopes they will grow straight and tall like she is. She fears her own future and what might happen if she had failed her seed in some way. She watches over them and hopes and prays. Some of her fruit fell to the ground before its time. She mourns their loss. But even as these trials face her, she does not give up. She dresses herself with brightness of the turning leaves and all who see her marvel at her beauty, less innocent than the flowers of Spring or the fullness of Summer. She is more fragile now, but strength remains. Now is the time to take on new responsibilities to fulfill before the Winter comes.

Winter steals upon the tree, cold and bitter. The snow falls, and with it the leaves. The woman's hair turns to the white of the falling snow. She knows she has little time remaining in this world, but she bears that knowledge with honor. This is the season of wisdom, and she has much experiences gained by the frosts of youth - a child's lost teddy bear; a best friend lost; a young, broken heart. She has brought her seed through the trials of summer as outsiders and at times her family attack her goal. She knows the loss felt when the children leave and even chores like laundry seem a heart-wrenching reminder as the sweet children's clothing is packed away for grandchildren. She has seen these things. She has wept these tears. But she knows this is not a season given to her for sadness! No, for the winter is when the woman shields the snow from the seeds sleeping about her feet and teaches them her wisdom. She shares all that she knows about the seasons of life and prepares them just as her mother and grandmother did before.

***

Spring comes, and a tiny bud forms on the branch of my yellow plum tree...

Dozy dotes and liddle lamzy divey...

2011-04-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

...A kiddley divey too, wooden shoe?

At every sunny chance I get, I take my goats out of the barn and let them "nom" freely on all the grass surrounding the barn. Saves Dad from having to mow. :) But since they're free to go wherever, I stay with them and watch over them. Much like David the shepherd in Scripture. I find myself thinking of him often while I'm sitting there in the grass watching my goats. Spending days at a time with the flocks of sheep must have been long and lonely, and a lonely heart with the right perspective turns to YHVH/God rather than depression.

I also find myself watching the goats and wondering if we'd be healthier if we didn't cook everything we eat. I mean, here are creatures that are probably FAR more healthy than your average human, and they don't cook the stuffin' out of everything. So I just have to wonder if maybe it would behoove us (a little pun there) to re-think what and how we eat. "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee" What should we be learning from the beasts in our care?

Dreamin' 'Bout Babies

2011-04-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

All last week I was dreaming about babies. And then, finally, on this fine Sunday afternoon...

There appeared Gimli, the small goatlet who hogs all the food.

And Aragorn. Epic and kingly.

They are so cute and doing so well. :)

Oh, Yeah, And I Tat

2011-03-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

In case anyone was interested in seeing a gen-u-ine tatted item, here is a bookmark for your viewing pleasure!

It has been tatted (erm, tatting is making lace out of a series of knots, formed with either a needle or a shuttle) out of sewing thread. That means this cross is about 3 1/2" from the top (just above the picture) to the end of the tassel (off the bottom of the picture). I would measure it, but I gave it to a friend of mine.

So now you know what tatting is, if you didn't before! It doesn't mean I make marks on skin with ink... although I can do that, too. On rabbit ears, though, not people skin.

I kept it near my favorite Scripture passage for several years. Anyone want to guess what Scripture it is?

On Headcoverings And Such

2011-03-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

The following items are highly debated around Christian circles:

Skirts for women
Headcoverings for women
Torah Observancy
Baptism
And bazillions of other things

I'll spell out my take on it here. *ahem*

Nothing but the blood of Messiah/Christ will get you into Heaven, so if you understand why He was crucified for you and accept His salvation, you WILL hang out with me in Heaven one day. The other things are unnecessary for salvation from the fires of hell, but the lifestyle parts are good ideas to incorporate into your life. Why? Because He (YHVH/God) likes it. He wouldn't have said to do something if He didn't like it. But they will not save you.

Baptism exists as a public symbol of acceptance of salvation. Just like a wedding is a public symbol of marriage. A marriage happens when a man and woman commit to each other for the rest of their mortal lives. Weddings are irrelevant to marriage. Salvation is between a man/woman/child and YHVH/God. Baptism is irrelevant to salvation. They are nice symbols, though.

The person whose life could only be described as an abomination that accepts the Lord as they breathe their last breath alone in that hospital room is just as saved as someone who accepted Him at the age of 10, was baptized, and lived a righteous life.

So there ya go. Good ideas, but they are not a path to salvation. More like a path after salvation.

Emily's Post

2011-03-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

I thought that title line was particularly brilliant. Today must have been a long day if I thought THAT was brilliant!

Anyway, over on Emily's blog, she is hosting a give-away of mother-daughter aprons and gave a challenge to post things you're thankful for on our blogs. As I am a dedicated apronophile, I entered the drawing. But also I love to be thankful for things. Let's see how many things I'm thankful for that I can come up with in the next five minutes. Comments in parentheses were added later. :)

My Lord (Do I need to say a reason?)
My parents (for being patient and loving and... more patient... See various thankful things below...)
My brothers (yes, all of them!)
My grandparents who live next door (they have been instrumental in teaching me)
My home (a comfortable place to live, far beyond what most people in the world have)
Rain!
My kitties
Wonderful friends
"Adopted" family (this may come under "friends" but they are the people who are not blood-related but have let me into their lives and call me their sister or daughter)
Inside jokes
The ability to do arts and crafts
Good schooling (thanks to Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma, and my wonderful college professors)
Educational and work opportunities
A job I love, coworkers who are good friends, an a boss I am proud to say I work for
Creativity
Good books to read
Tea :)
Food
A pretty valley to live in
The uniqueness of snow
How even after disasters, there is still life and beauty
The resilience of mankind
Batteries (Hey, I can be thankful for batteries!)
My dad's ability to fix everything
And that he didn't get upset when I (possibly? probably? most likely? almost definitely?) destroyed the faucet on the side of his shop on Friday when I tried to back his truck out of the used car lot that is our driveway. Maybe that's why we ran out of water Friday night...

Yep. That took slightly longer than five minutes, because I had to finish the bit with the faucet. Oops. Sorry, Dad! I... um... got him some M&Ms. And that made everything ok. Listen up, kids. M&Ms are like little dabs of magic. If there was such a thing as magic. They make everything better.

Ummmmmm...

2011-03-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

In the public speaking group Toastmasters, you are taught how to give speeches and critiqued on a number of things. One of the things you get "dinged" for is making a pointless syllable. Um. Uh. Er. Well. Hm. Oh. Etc. But why do we say them, anyway? Why are they habitual for nearly every person you run into? Do they have a purpose?

My answer: Yes. It has a purpose. (Everyone in Toastmasters cringes and protests) Hang on! I'll explain.

"Um" is often used to fill the silence that follows a question. Ex: "What would you like to do today?" "Uh... Go to town, I guess." In modern English conversations, silence during the conversation is dreaded, and either person will do anything to keep a silence from occurring. "Um" is a place-holder sound. It informs the person asking you the question that you are thinking of the answer and they should be quiet until you finish thinking. If you were to remain silent, the asker would assume they asked the question in such a way as it was difficult to understand. So the moment you begin to answer, they rephrase the question. Then there comes the awkward "You go first." "No, you." "I insist - what were you going to say before I interrupted?" "I forgot now."

Alternately, it can initiate a conversation by capturing someone's attention while you are thinking of what to say, "Ummmm, hey, I was going to talk to you about the concert tomorrow." And the "Um" is held out to the duration of the time to figure out what you're going to say. Convenient!

Perhaps it might have become a matter of etiquette in our society to include these little "nothing" sounds, maybe even as important as non-verbal cues. In the age of the telephone, they may be entirely replacing non-verbal cues. Rather than letting the phone line go silent and make the other person sit there and listen to nothing, you'll utter a long "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell..." so that at the very least they won't think you hung up or fell asleep!

I believe that is also why run-on sentences happen. How many "and"s can you fit in that sentence? My explanation: When someone comes to a punctuation mark, like a comma or period, in their spoken paragraphs, they panic. If they allow a full pause to indicate a period, someone might grab that moment and start talking, so, in preservation of their "speaking turn," they add on to a single sentence as much as possible to put out all the information they possibly can before the other person can jump on the break in their sentence and mess up your train of thought, because you have so much more to say and besides, if they take the "floor" with the conversation, you may never have a chance to finish what you were saying and then it would be a horrible tragedy so you go on and on without pausing or taking a breath until you finally gasp for a breath at the end of your monologue and let the other person speak.

Whatcha think?

Being the one who is guilty of LONG awkward silences and snipping ALL sentences short, this is what I've noticed around other people. Feel free to correct...

Ramblin' Man... Er, Woman...

2011-03-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

I had a random thought the other day about a tiny subject that made me sad. With the trend of children using first names for adults (including their parents!), there is a distinct possibility that I will never be called "Mrs. Cowboy" by my children's little friends. I will merely be Cora.

All of my life, I've longed to be Mrs. MarriedSurname, but in our society of holding a greater value on childhood and youth than age and wisdom, people don't want to be thought of as "older" than the youth surrounding them. They take offense to being addressed as Mr. or Mrs. Surname. Even Sir or Ma'am, which were drilled into me as the most basic of decency are now abhorred.

Perhaps you think I'm strange. It wouldn't be the first time. I look forward to the gray hair and wrinkles in my future. To grandchildren. To growing old with my beloved Cowboy.

What do you think? Do you look forward to growing older? Would you be offended by being called Mrs. Surname or Mr. Surname?

...

My next ramble:

"'Um.' Society's Necessary Superfluous Sound"

Porthos the Pirate

2011-03-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

Introducing the dashing new stranger residing in my home! His name is Porthos the Pirate, and he was given to me by the Queen of America. Those of you who get the reference are smiling right now. My friend who buys and refurbishes old machines gave it to me the other day: "Since you're like an adopted daughter to me, I've decided you must have one, and I couldn't possibly make you PAY for it since you're family!" Woah! Erm, thank you!

He is a Singer treadle sewing machine, one of 50,000 made in Elizabethport New Jersey on April 18th, 1921 (yes, 50,000 were made THAT day). That means, folks, that this is an entirely uncomputerized, non-electric sewing machine. Yay! The head (what you call the machine itself) is in great working condition, and I think the decals are to die for. :-P

It also weighs a ton. The head and the big pedal underneath are cast iron. Heaaaaaaaavy

Well, I Gone and Done It.

2011-03-07T09:23:00.000-08:00

In all this time away from my poor, neglected blog (I'm sorry!), I've been attached to my sewing machine. You see, my dear Cowboy saw THIS and asked me to make him a quilt out of old jeans for his upcoming trip to Alaska. "No!" Cora said. "I hate quilting and you know it!" Well... not really. She does hate quilting, but she did make it. *sigh* It was a trial.

Then that led to making a patchwork dress out of old blue jeans, which turned out to be a very post-apocalyptic-esque style. Kind of cool!

And now, you demand, where are the pictures? Pictures or it didn't happen, Cora!

Well...

In proper post-apocalyptic fashion, we will pretend that there are no cameras... because I can't find ours... anywhere... :-/

BUT since I can't leave this post without a picture, I'll put in this one. I posted a picture of my hair a while ago, and I thought I'd update that. :) Here's my hair sans shampoo. Yep. I've switched to using solely baking soda and vinegar after my dear sister Jocelyn inspired me to.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

Hmm... I don't think it looks all that worse for wear... Very fluffy...

Interesting Article

2011-02-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

I read THIS and thought it was interesting. Sowers Of Hope posted it on their blog.

The last 10 days have been a flurry around here. My brother was back in and out of the hospital, but hopefully he's done with hospitals for another few months at least. The last stretch was 10 months out of the hospital. I'm hoping for a year this time!

Yesterday At Work

2011-02-13T13:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while at work, we were busy putting products out on the shelf, when suddenly I turned around, and what did I see?

Mighty Mike!

So, in natural Cora fashion, I stared at him for a second, squeaked some version of "Hi!" that I don't remember now, and hugged him right then and there in front of EVERYONE at the store. :)

He is home now, recovering. Recovering his pride from being hugged by baby sister, also, no doubt.

Mighty Mike, February Edition

2011-02-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

Mighty Mike should be coming home soon. Today or tomorrow. He posted on facebook that he hopes I'm his nurse because my cooking makes hospital food taste good. Hmm... I'm THAT bad? ...Narcotic pain killers, much?... He then apologized and said he meant to say my cooking is WAY better than hospital food and he can keep eating and eating and eating and eating...

***

I had an interesting thought earlier. It went like this...

Is YHVH-God more important than loyalty our country? What do you mean by that, Cora? Well, whenever we hear the National Anthem, we are compelled to stand, gentlemen remove their hats, and treat the occasion with utmost respect (unless you're the one singing, in which case you can apparently mess it up all you want...). How many of us totally zone out while singing hymns, praises, and psalms? We have rules regarding honoring our nation's flag by keeping it in as pristine a condition as we can. ...while our books of Scriptures are hidden under piles of junk on the coffee table or sitting on the floors of our cars to get stepped on or become moldy.

Is that ok? Please discuss...

Do Adventures Ever Cease?

2011-02-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Mighty Mike is in the hospital again with pancreatitis and minor internal bleeding. They don't know what's causing the bleeding yet.

My poor brother. :(

A Few Good Songs

2011-02-07T12:33:00.000-08:00

No one said I couldn't use this spot for advertising. But I only advertise good causes!

Come Thou Fount

Star of the County Down

Suite 16 (Rosie's Own Music)

These are done by a for-charity music group in SW Washington called Rosie and the Posers. They're a bunch of young and young-at-heart people, and all of their concerts are held to benefit local charities. I went to one of the concerts, and I'm hooked now.

You all should buy their CD, "Harrumphing Toward Euphoria." It's only $10, and I think you'll like it. This from a girl who hates, loathes, and despises listening to CDs. "Walkin' Pneumonia Blues" is great, and so is "Falling Upwards." Their genre is... You tell them! There's a blues song, Irish-inspired tunes, some Latin-flavored stuff in there... It's great.

They're primarily on facebook, so at the very least, go "like" them and see what they're about. HERE can be found their blog.

And, no, Sir Dale (the leader of the group) didn't pay me to write this. :-D

Life on the Farm is Kinda Laid Back

2011-01-31T09:38:00.000-08:00

First baby of the year. Her name is Naira.

Erm, what do you DO?

2011-01-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

I was recently asked to list all my interests and hobbies. So I thought as long as I had them typed out, I'd copy them over to here. I've added some more that I've thought of in the meantime.

My interests:

Farming/self-sufficient lifestyle
What I call "Mundane History." How average/poor people lived during the course of history. What did they wear? What were their customs? What work did they do? Why did they believe as they did? Things like that.
Children
Theology, and specifically WHY people believe as they do. Why do YOU believe as you do?
Cows
Science fiction/fantasy
Baseball (Mariners for the win! ...or maybe that should be "for the loss!" ...Or maybe that's a bad joke. I love the Mariners, though.)
Forests
Non-feminism*
Astronomy
Politics
Costuming and research (again, mundane costumes)
Languages (any/all except for French. I can't make myself like the nasally tone. I like gut-languages like German)
Wilderness survival
Drinking tea :)
Vegetable/Orchard gardening
Lord of the Rings (esp. The Hobbit, and no, I won't watch the movie when it comes out)
Volunteering/Community building
Family History
Natural living (eating organic [hey, quit looking at my French Vanilla Coffee Mate! *hugs bottle*], wearing natural fiber clothes, not wearing jewelry...)
Applied algebra (see sewing)
Livestock training (esp. training of oxen. One day I will have a team of oxen)
Kindness and forgiveness

Hobbies:

Any yarn/needle craft (no, ANY. I tat, crochet, knit, do naalbinding [a little]...)
Leatherworking
Woodburning
Singing
Playing my zither
Whittling
Modeling clay into tiny, little people (this was a home business for a while)
Beadwork
Sewing (without real patterns - mostly mathematical equations)
Fabric dyeing (indigo shibori and natural dyes)
Paper altering
Weaving
Basketry
Cheesemaking
Scrabble
Baking
Other cooking
Playing with my animals
Babysitting
Laundry (why, um, yes, I actually love to do laundry. ::shame::)
Rocking out with the guys
Playing video games with my feet while knitting.
Spoiling my brothers
Oh, yeah... writing... This should be higher on the list. ::shame again::
Making dumb jokes that make people smile
Hiking
Learning
Canning/freezing food

Dislikes:

Dogs
Yeah, that's about it. I like just about everything but dogs.

*As I was asked to explain what non-feminism is, here's what I wrote:

I mean that I understand and value what the feminist movement accomplished in making women able to do more of what was historically the "man's job" (in the workforce, etc.), but for me, personally, I don't hold with some of the core ideas that spurred the movement. Some of the ideas I DO value (for instance, I vote in every election, I went to college, I have a job outside the home), so I am not for ANTI-feminism, which is becoming a popular phrase. I'm using the opportunity created by feminism to choose a different life than what feminists hold as their ideal.

So I'm not against feminism or feminists. I'm not really actively for it, either. I (Me, myself, and Cora) believe I am equal to a man, but I am also different from a man, and I will expand my life in such a way as to revel in that difference (which includes being a follower, not a fellow leader).

Maybe I just don't like generalized titles, because there is ALWAYS something inside the umbrella that is that title (or the reputation of the title) that doesn't fit me. :-P

And anyone who calls themselves a feminist is totally okay in my book, because I understand that my lifestyle is not for everyone, and if they are not offended by mine, they might even become interested. :-)

My interest really is seeing what people on either side think (the "feminists" and "anti-feminists") and discovering my own beliefs between the two, drawing from their experiences and studies to round out my viewpoint with a more realistic, grounded opinion.

This is also part of my interest in theology and maybe even psychology to some extent. Why do people think the way they do, and how can I interact with them in a way they will understand and appreciate, or maybe even help keep myself and others afloat in this world through their successes and failures, all without compromising my principles? It's all very interesting.

Hairs of the Force

2011-01-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to take a picture of my hair this morning, but as I was pondering which type of bread to cover with Nutella for breakfast, I decided to take a picture.

So I did.

And, since I am otherwise lame-tacular today, without more ado, here's my hair. :-D

Yeah. That was epic.

And note the very high-tech cell phone holder I'm wearing. Actually, on second thought, ignore everything in this picture except for the lovely curtains my mom made! Very, very pretty. :)

By the way, it really doesn't matter what type of bread you put your Nutella on, because if you put enough on, the bread is really an insignificant flavor.

New Sewing Project!

2011-01-14T11:06:00.000-08:00

Cora Beth inspired me to post pictures of my latest sewing project - a new skirt!

And cute socks, but they're not new. And I didn't sew them. :)

A Recipe!

2011-01-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

THIS is what I made today. Thanks to Rachel for posting it!

Cocoa-nut Honey Peanut Butter Balls

(link: http://dixonhomestead.com/rachel/?p=6175 )

"But You're Not Bitter or Anything..."

2011-01-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

It's everywhere around us. People holding long-standing grudges. Country against country. Neighbor against neighbor. Brother against brother. We come up with all sorts of reasons to hold grudges, and in our minds, they're fabulous, infallible reasons.

That's a problem.

*listens for disagreement*

*hears whispers in the back row and sees a few skeptically raised eyebrows*

Okay. Here goes. *grabs a can labeled "Cora's Radical New Idea"*

It's my alwayseversohumble opinion that we have no right to hold grudges. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you have heard of Jesus. Further, I'm going to assume you know that He was crucified on a cross. If, however, this is unfamiliar to you, I suggest reading from the New Testament before proceeding with this post. :)

So why do we not have a right to our self-justified grudges? Well. As I was standing there browning the hamburger for dinner, it occurred to me that if Jesus/Yeshua, Messiah, who is our role model, allowed his innocent, gentle, beautiful hands to be nailed to a cross and asked for forgiveness for these people who were killing Him that He came to save, how can we look at someone else and say, "You disagreed with me! He took my toy! She said something that hurt my feelings!" and be justified?

Just an idea. Forgive your brother or friend or mortal enemy. Ask to be forgiven. Mend bridges. And if you know someone holds a grudge against you, it is not "just their problem." Go try to fix it. See here:

Matthew 5:

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. ²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. (NIV)

Every moment you're allowing that grudge into your life is like twisting that nail in Jesus' hand. Don't do it.

Romans 12:18 "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." (KJV)

See what happens. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Note: I used NIV for the longer section on account of most people these days not caring for (or understanding) KJV,which is my normal translation.

Wolverine

2011-01-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at my little buddy. First he was the Lego Man's little buddy, and then the Lego Man went on to bigger and better activities, and Wolverine became the big sister's project. And a good little project he has been. He now knows the difference between chewtoys and fingers, scratching posts and people, and occasionally uses each for their correct purpose.

Redneck kitten plays... (back when we first got him)

...and plays...

And bites...

Aww... :)

"No, Lego Man, I think we should put the experience points into this cat-egory."

And more recently...

Handsome rogue.

Who Are You?

2011-01-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been driving your car, riding a bus, or walking around a grocery store and wondered about the other people you come across? Have you ever caught a glimpse of a face and wondered, "Where is that person going, both in the immediate travel and in their life? Are they happy?" Sometimes I do. Sometimes I wonder if I'm losing a good friend by not speaking to them.

Where I work (as a salesman and cashier at a store), I'm required to talk to people. But instead of assisting them in the most plain-vanilla way I can ("Hi - how can I help you? That's found over here, blah blah blah..."), I make them part of my life for however many moments they're in contact with me. My goal is to lighten the mood of at least half of the people I come across. I can't help it now. I just crack up with my goofy smile as soon as I walk up to people, and somehow that smile always makes them smile, too.

It's fun. YHVH has blessed me tremendously with this job. I've met new friends in customers just by being a warm and bubbly person. I may not know their names, but I know their faces, the sound of their laughter, and the joy of knowing I made just a little difference.

Godless

2011-01-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

I was speaking with a friend of mine a long while ago (years?). I think it was around Thanksgiving. Yes, it must have been, because I asked what T was particularly thankful for, given that it was the season that Americans traditionally think of thankfulness. She replied that she was not thankful. For anything. Naturally, I was surprised. "Nothing at all?"

"Yes, nothing at all," T responded. "Most people are thankful for health, general life happiness, or even life at all. I see those as personal rights that belong to me and not something to be thankful for. Nor is there anyone or anything to be grateful to. I simply am until I am no more. Anyone who thinks other than that is silly."

This gave me a profound insight into a human soul as I think it over these recent days (being absent from my blog, this is the main subject I've been pondering, along with a few other things). They say people have a God-sized hole in their lives that only He can fill. I think what I observe from my friend's conversation is that this is what it looks like when that life-void is embraced. "Life is nothing. Death is nothing. Live it up."

This insight also led me to a new understanding of how grateful I should be! My life is borrowed from YHVH/God. Everything in it was given to me for His good pleasure. Truly, I am a blessed daughter of Zion.

If the Lord so burdens you, please pray for T. She is a sweet lady, and I would love for her to know the Truth.

"Well, I'm Back"

2011-01-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

So Rosemary and Cora Beth both ~~demanded~~ asked that I return to the blogosphere.

Maybe it would be fitting to write an "In 2011, I plan to..." list. Even though I deny the idea that it is 2011. I just got used to writing 2010 instead of 2009. New Year's Grinch - That's me!

So in this year, which I still call 2010, I plan to...

1. Help my neighbor in her quest to learn how to tan animal furs. She has contacts from which to get the chemicals (we looked in to doing 100% at-home DIY stuff with the corn flakes and battery acid, and that was going to be way too much work; who said wagon train women couldn't be just a little lazy?). Yes, as everyone off the 'nets asks, and I'm sure you're about to, I do mean real honest-to-goodness rabbit furs.
2. Practice making bread and maybe *gasp* become proficient at it.
3. Make myself a more valuable asset at my work.
4. Practice being humble and submissive. I tend to have a bit of a stubborn streak.
5. Finish that ~~nasty~~ ~~evil~~ ~~wretched~~ wonderful quilt I started for the Cowboy. Only 296 more ~~dumb~~ simple and easy pieces of ~~evil~~ strong and manly denim to cut out. *sigh* Anyone have any spare jeans? I'll need them... Has anyone mentioned that Cora hates quilting? She does. Cutting stuff up to sew into a blanket with tons of waste in seam allowances? Unthinkable! Yet here she is...

And the one that I know I will HAVE to do:
6. Learn patience. This summer will be very difficult for me unless I can learn to fully rely on the Lord. But He's been giving me reason upon reason to trust Him in this venture. I know the Cowboy and I will learn much and come out better in the end, so part of me is excited, but the other part is dreading when the Cowboy leaves.

I'm sorry for abandoning you guys. I've missed you a lot.
~Cora

October's Bright Blue Weather

2010-10-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

I never thought of October as having bright blue weather, but that's what a poem I memorized for school describes. And recently we've had bright blue weather, even here in Washington State. But the gorgeous rain has returned finally. :)

News from around here has been quite unbelievable, so I will not describe it and make you all doubt my honesty. To suffice, I will say that sickness has not been lacking in our home.

Lately during my nightly Bible reading, I've been thinking about people not getting along with other people. Specifically how we should respond to someone who doesn't like us. I've been reading I Samuel. If you don't remember, let me sum up. Saul was anointed king. He went and blew it by disobeying the Lord, so Samuel anointed David to be the next king. Well, ol' David was just plain awesome, so all the fangirls were singing about how awesome he was. King Saul heard that and got jealous, so he tried to kill David.

Now. David didn't turn around and fight back. Instead, he got up and went to hide in a forest. When King Saul found him there, David fled to caves and even another country! Whenever King Saul caught up with David, David would sneak up and... cut a scrap of cloth from King Saul's robe... take a vessel of water and a spear... and then announce what he'd done and how he could have killed King Saul, but he didn't.

"Twice I have held your life in my hands, and twice I have given it back to you."

That's a line from a movie, but that's what David did, essentially.

Who annoys you right now? Who really irritates you? How are you responding? David had someone trying to kill him, but he responded in a peaceful, Godly, appropriate, and even loving manner. I think that's a good role model to keep in mind.

Popping in for a moment...

2010-09-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my long absence. I've been ill for a long time (ended up in the hospital for half a night) and am finally getting to where I'm up and about again. So there are lots of things to catch up on. Like, say, laundry. :-/

Some Pictures

2010-09-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

I've been remiss in posting lately, so here are some pictures. I promised some pictures from the fair, and as soon as I find them (Mom downloaded them onto a computer or laptop somewhere around here...), I will post them. For now, you can see a little of the sights on the farm. :)

Babies!

Wolverine wanted attention

Wild huckleberries!

I love the swamp (above two pics) and the creek area (below).

In Loving Memory

2010-08-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Victoria N.

December 8, 1954 - August 31, 2010

We loved you in life, miss you in death, and now look forward to seeing you again one day in a more beautiful place than this.

~Rebecca's niece, Cora

Looking Out My Window...

2010-08-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is what I see:
Four little raindrops smiling at me.

There aren't just four raindrops out there - more like four thousand.

It looks to be an emotional day. My aunt has been in a deep coma since Sunday, and today she took a bad turn for the worse. I'll be spending the day with my grandma, because, with Grandpa staying with my uncle through this ordeal, we don't want her to be alone.

Please keep us in your prayers.

'Tis a Sad Day

2010-08-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today I found out that a dear friend of mine passed away last night.

It's strange to think of our village without Connie. I have so many memories of the evenings when she'd pop over to visit. She always kept up to date with us kids and what we were doing in life... she loved seeing my knitting and other crafts. So encouraging and such a beautiful heart. And now she's gone.

The funeral is on Saturday, and I have to be at work.

*cry*

I know I will see her again in Paradise, but until then, I will miss her.

Re-Cap on the Trip

2010-08-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday... ah, yesterday...

The journey East began the night before, when the Cowboy got me and drove out to his parents' house (almost an hour east of here). We got there at 10:30. The next hour was spent rushing about getting canning jars prepared, things packed, and enjoying random jabber. We knocked off about midnight, the Cowboy went home, and we all went to bed. I ended up not getting to sleep until about 4 in the morning (sleep and I have an issue-filled relationship that I am trying to resolve, but to no avail). At 6:30 sharp, we were roused, fed, and preparations to leave were underway. 8:30 we pulled out of the driveway.

Commence future SIL's mobile internet connection and Pandora Radio with minor arguments between members of the outfit regarding gummy bears, speed limits, and whether we listen to classic rock or country music.

I have no idea what time it was when we reached the destination (a fruit field owned by a good friend of my great uncle). We picked a bazillion boxes of peaches. I think there were nine in all. Then four boxes of pears and five of tomatoes. I saw okra for the first time! And brought home some purple bell peppers! I had no idea those existed! Then we stopped for burgers and headed home.

Commence more music and minor arguments.

The Cowboy got me home at about 8-8:30pm and I went to milk my goats. And that was about it. Woot. I brought back to my mother three boxes of peaches, one box of pears, and one box of tomatoes. And two purple peppers (how could you pass THAT up?). Oh, and a cantaloupe.

And an acorn squash. Oooooooh, I can almost taste the buttery, brown-sugary goodness in that squash, cooked up in the oven until the butter melts and turns the sugar into a lava sauce that burns your mouth and is divine... *hearts* I love food.

Of Dreams and Schemes

2010-08-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

First and foremost: All work for/on the local fair is over! Yay! We got done with all the clean-up and everything. You can tell I'm exhausted because I spelled "done" as "dun," then stared at it for a moment before realizing why it looked funny. *Siiiiiiigh*

Nextly: I went to a little, tiny SCA event (Society for Creative Anachronism [How did I spell that correctly and misspell "done" up there?]) and saw lots of cool stuff. They study Medieval society and attempt to recreate it. Made me want to sew up some new costumes.

As stated in the title, I had a funny/odd dream. I was finally given a chance to play my zither in concert (a very large concert), but I couldn't, because it wasn't tuned. Talk about depressing! I really need to find someone who can tune instruments. A zither generally looks like THIS, only mine isn't that pretty.

And the scheming mentioned in the title is in reference to the plans the Cowboy and his mom have of going to Eastern Washington tomorrow and picking peaches. I'll probably go with. Loooooooooooooong drive...

My 101st post!

2010-08-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Wow! 101 posts on this blog so far!

Well, last night it was finished. I fought against the sewing machine and won! Yaaaaaaay! Last night, I folded up the sleeves and hem of my original series Star Trek Science Officer's uniform and sewed them up. The machine is evil and hates me (seriously! It loves Mom and hates me.), so it refused to pick up the bobbin thread most of the time. I couldn't tell you how many times I had to stop and re-sew. I was continually doing the frog stitch (rip-it! rip-it! rip-it!). Roar. But 'tis done. And I made a little Star Fleet insignia out of felt, shiny gold fabric, and a Sharpie. Very professional, I know.

Oh, the muffins are done! ...And one looks like the leaning tower of Pisa. Or Mt. Rainier. :-/

*ahem* Anyway, as I was saying, I got the outfit all done and put on a mannequin to admire the work. And I, um, put pants on said mannequin. I love Star Trek and all, but those original series "mini dresses"! :-O Quite shocking!

And when my parents return from Hawaii with the camera (Tonight! They'll be home at midnight!), I might take pictures for all of you people out here in blogland. And for those of you waiting to see pictures of my very cool staff (or walking stick, but a staff is cooler), I will take pictures of it.

In other news, my Shibori dyed tichel that I posted about brought home a "Best of Class" rosette and a cool prize from the fair. Woo! I did enter some other projects, but I'll leave those for a later post.

Also a helpful tip: If your alarm clock does not seem to wake you up on time, check to make sure you set it to AM instead of PM. Tomorrow maybe I'll be on time... :-/

~Cora

Me: "This isn't funny." Goat: "Maaaaaa!"

2010-08-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, Miss Heidi went to milk her beloved goats, Jasmine and Joanna. It was a lovely morning - overcast and a bit chilly, just the way Miss Heidi likes it. So with her pail a-swinging in her hand, she strolled down the hill to collect her four-legged-friends from the hillside.

But what is this? A goat cry from the wrong direction? Say it's not so! But, yes, a wayward Joanna stood in the brush, little tail wagging, and ears pointed straight toward the morning sky. At the sight of Miss Heidi, the little goat came tripping to her side. "Maaaaa!" she said. "How did you get out?" Miss Heidi asked. Joanna, not missing a beat, replied, "Maaaaaaa!"

With the goat being entirely unhelpful in the current crisis, Miss Heidi left Joanna and inspected the fence. It stood as strong as ever. She inspected the gate. Intact and in place. Or was it? Upon closer inspection, Miss Heidi discovered that when her little brother, Fritz, had done chores last night, he'd chained the gate incorrectly. The gate could swing open a little, but enough for a wily goat to escape into freedom and delicious blackberry vines.

So Miss Heidi finished her chores, chained the gate securely, and returned to her hill-top cottage. She poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down to blog about the experience.

~Miss Heidi

Behold, What Manner of Love!

2010-08-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

As I was having adventures in the sewing room this morning, I got to thinking about "the manner of love the Father has given unto us," and I began to list them. My list is by no means complete, so feel free to comment with more!

The love of the Father for us:

As a father loves his child.
As a brother loves his sibling.
As a master loves his faithful servant.
As a devoted servant loves his master. (for our Lord came not to be served, but to serve)
He loves us as His bride.
Also as His greatest creation.

Then I thought of a favorite song "He's Everything to Me." As I thought about this list, I realized... We are everything to HIM. As the Cowboy would say, "It really humbles you to think about it."

A Long-Favorite Poem

2010-08-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Good-night, my friend. Sleep well.

It's That Time Of Year

2010-08-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

You may or may not have gotten a mail-in ballet for the primary election (I know some of you invisible readers live "across the pond" so disregard this post...), but if you did, please vote now and mail that ballet!

And if you live in Washington State, Cora endorses Dino Rossi for State Senator and Jaime Herrera for State Representative. If you wish to know why I'm voting Herrera over Castillo, shoot me an email, and I will explain my reasoning.

Important fact! Even if the candidate is running unopposed for their position, you should still vote for them! They need to win a certain percentage of the total votes to win!

The odd part was going through the list of elections and seeing my mother's name on the ballet. She's running for something? Huh! Didn't know that! :-/ Well, I voted for her...

Next Week In Cora's Life...

2010-07-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

I AM GOING TO DIE! MY PARENTS ARE LEAVING MONDAY FOR TWO WEEKS IN HAWAII!

D-8

(This roughly translates to: I'm going to be fully, entirely 100% "mom of three boys" for two weeks. *cry* And the garden is getting ready to be harvested, which means I'll have to pick, can, and freeze everything all by me onesy.)

I'm thrilled my parents have been married for 25 years, but... but... Two weeks away and across an ocean? Aaaaargh!

Help?

A Quote That Struck Me

2010-07-30T21:46:00.000-07:00

"Tolerating evil is a crime." - Brigitte Gabriel

Don't tolerate evil.

That's all I got. 8 hours unpacking boxes has left me wonked and pretty well unable to walk. Ugh. Can I amputate my legs right at the knees? Please?

*crawls to bed*

So, Yeah... I'm a Geek

2010-07-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

I counted up my collection:
42 Star Wars books
19 Star Trek books
9+ Other Sci/Fi books

I have just this tiny soft spot for Sci/Fi. Mom got me a dozen more books at a garage sale a few days ago. It was glorious! The most exciting ones? Two books from the X-Wing Series! I've wanted them for so long, and yet I've never found them. No longer. Mwahahahahaha! *evilchuckle*

If anyone wants, I can let you all know if it was good or not. 30 pages in, and it's pretty good. :-) But, then... it has Wedge Antilles in it. How can anything with Capt. Antilles be bad? (y'all can forget that I used to call myself Jadra Antilles during Star Wars themed "Make-Believe"...)

In case anyone out there cares, I also (in addition to the prequels) don't acknowledge the existence of ANY book after Luke Skywalker married Mara Jade. Roar. Never happened. And Jacen didn't turn bad. And Tahiri didn't turn bad. And Zekk didn't turn bad. Etc. So, essentially, I love Star Wars, but only select portions. As it should be. The rest I will take out back with the ol'shotgun and dispatch post haste.

Lego Star Wars for X-Box rocks.

Returned With Victories, Discoveries, and Various Insanities

2010-07-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

First: Victory

Dress rehearsal on Saturday of one scene from the movie was SO TOTALLY AWESOME! I'd been given 3 hours by the directors to have all of Rosie's makeup done, but it ended up taking only an hour and a half. On set, I was personal assistant to Rosie's actress and touched up makeup and costume between takes. When/If I get pictures, you bet there will be some posted here! Masha (the actress) is a sweet young woman from Ukraine, and I look forward to getting to know her better. She is quite feminine in appearance, but I swear she's tough as nails. Quite inspirational! :-)

Next: Discovery

You can spend an eternity (at least it felt like it) picking two grocery bags full of peas and then shelling them... and end up with a measly 5 1/2 cups of peas to freeze for winter. Oy. This'll be a long harvest with me putting up food all by my lonesome...

Finally: Various Insanities

I'm writing a new book. Woo! *tries not to be overwhelmed* This is actually going to be a retelling of an old, old legend (which was made up a year or two ago by a friend of mine). He's written the whole story, but in narrative paragraphs. My job is to take that story come alive.

We'll see what happens. :-)

Irony is a Beautiful Thing

2010-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

I love a good case of irony. I saw two of them yesterday.

My brother and I were half-watching the baseball game, and during the commercials (ick), we were switching to the food network. The show on food network was on desserts at Disneyland. They talked about the thousands of pounds of flour, sugar, and chocolate that went into making these desserts year after year. They showed us lots of happy children eating the desserts. And then it was time for a commercial break. Guess what the lead-off commercial was.Yeah, the Weight Watchers program.

That caused much discussion/laughter between us, and we didn't end up going back to the baseball game.

So a few commercials later, there was a lady who announced that she'd lost so much weight by eating more whole grain food! The commercial was for Cheerios or some other cereal. At the end of the commercial, it said, "And be sure to try our new chocolate flavored whole grain Cheerios!" *headdesk* Yes, eat whole grains filled with extra sugar, chocolate, and probably unnatural flavorings! That will make you lose weight!

*sigh* *headdesk again*

Interesting Experience

2010-07-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like you stepped out of a by-gone era into this one? Yesterday as I went out to do chores with a long skirt* and big, white (stained) apron and head-covering, I felt like I'd stepped out of a time when women were taught to be more peaceful, feminine, and... pretty... into a world of rough and ragged lives where a woman's feminine and peaceful disposition is despised.

It was strange.

I like the old world. I like the old world where men do not swear before (or at) ladies, like what happened at work last week, when a man (I won't say gentleman as is my usual wont) directed the foulest language at me.

Something in me longs for society to return to where it was. And if a change can happen, it must happen with me.

*Yes, I did wear a skirt to do chores, which, if you know me, you know was in the past strictly prohibited by my father. Apparently yesterday he did not mind. So perhaps I will more often. :)

Ah, a Blessed Tuesday...

2010-07-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Today, I don't need to leave home for any reason except to ~~run~~ drive to the neighbor's twice to milk for them. Most people have neighbors a hundred feet away. Ours are, like, a hundred miles away. Okay, two miles. But I shall drive nonetheless. :-P

So my activities are attending my goats and the neighbor's goat, trimming hooves, and destroying an apron for the Rosie Movie. It will be much fun.

The idea behind the apron is that our nineteenth century (1800s) poor, little heroine's house burned down, she now lives in the barn, because she has nowhere else to go, being newly widowed, parentless, friendless, and she'd never let herself be a burden to a neighbor, because she feels herself unworthy. Months go by as she's fending for herself on the farm, going slightly insane with naught but her cello and rifle to keep her company. As I enter the story with my specialized makeup talents, she has decided she is going to die. The apron is the one she has been wearing these past months, and is stained, torn, and yucky, because she has no change of clothing. They all burned in the house. That's what I'll be working on.

First filming is Saturday morning. Eek! So exciting!

Myth... BUSTED!

2010-07-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here are a few myths about farm animals that I would like to bust for you.

Myth #1: If the bovine has horns, it is a bull.
Truth #1: Females also have horns unless they are of a polled breed (such as polled hereford), in which case neither the males nor females will have horns.
Cora first found mention of this myth on an eBay item - a butter dish depicting a cow on the front, but the seller was adamant that it was a bull.

Myth #2: The goat has a beard; it must be a male.
Truth #2: Goats are not people and do not have the same physical characteristics as people. I have two goats with beards, and I assure you: they are most definitely female.

Have you busted any myths (farming related or not) recently? Or have you been duped by a myth recently? Do share!

Dear Washington Weather...

2010-07-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently there is some horrible person out there programming our weather. 90s? 90s?!

Now I must go and die a painful, roasting death here on the surface of the sun that is currently masquerading as earth.

Opens giant can of worms Rights.

2010-07-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

During the socialized health care vote/debate/civil war, I heard someone make this statement, and it has troubled me since.

"Health care is a right just like education is a right."

A right, eh?

What is a right? We have the right to freedom of speech. We have the right to remain silent. We have the right to vote. We have the right to bear arms.

I see a distinct difference between the right to speak freely or bear arms and education:
Speaking is something which we have complete personal control over. Buying a firearm and carrying it is something which we have complete personal control over.
Education is a gift from the superior knowledge of another human being, and therefore we have no personal control over it.

Health care professionals (doctors, nurses, etc.) have studied and made knowledge of health care their possession, just as a mechanic's tool kit is his possession. Same with teachers. Their knowledge is their possession.

Treating the possession of another human being as a personal right is called thievery. Treating health care or education as a right is the same as stealing the mechanic's tools.

While I do not like Obama-care in the slightest, this is not an attack on it. I am merely pointing out a distinction in what is or is not a personal right.

By the way, you do not have the right to even BREATHE tomorrow. You could be in a car accident and die four hours from now. You don't know, do you? Be careful what you call a right, and make sure you have complete personal control over it.

*waits to see what crawls from the can of worms*

Lost and Yet Unfound

2010-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I searched high. All I found was my brother's portfolio of school activities.

I searched low. All I found was medical records.

I searched in the middle. All I found was a Toastmaster booklet.

"Oh, where, oh where did my cross-stitch go? Oh, where, oh where can it be?"

So now I am led to post an ad:

Last seen: Uh... four years ago?
Last known location: The school room
Wearing: Possibly in a manila envelope

If anyone has seen it, please let me know! It is finished and I would like to frame it someday...

Review: The Last Airbender

2010-07-06T10:51:00.000-07:00

I give this movie a very generous two stars out of five. I didn't know anything about it when my brother invited me to go with him and see it. Some thoughts:

1. Practice of magic. I don't particularly mind creatures in stories that are inherently magical (fairies with wands, etc). What I do object to is the study and practice of magic. Thumbs down.

2. Romance for the sake of reviews. People, seriously. You don't make the secondary character brother fall in love (*gasp! I think I'm in love!*) with the (*swoons*) unbelievably beautiful princess. They spend every moment in the background of scenes holding hands and looking cute and adorable. And then... Alas, she must die, but for a very noble cause! Insert intense music and dramatic final kiss... Then she dies. And we were all like, "Whoop-de-doo. I don't even remember her name." If you're going to make a short, secondary romance and then kill her, don't play it all up to be over-dramatic. Thumbs down.

3. Martial arts and action. So I have a thing for martial arts. I kind of adore it. This and Thought #4 made this movie worth watching for me. So much fighting action! Woo! Thumbs up.

4. Katara's costumes. Oh. My. Word. I so want to copy her blue dress. And the fur one. Rarely do you see movies set in this style where the women/girls wear decent clothing, and these... were fabulous. During the movie, I had to whisper to my mom how much I love them. I am so making myself the blue dress. HERE is a link to an ok picture. Apparently the people at IMDB don't care about costume fanatics or they would have posted a bunch more pictures of Katara. :-P Thumbs WAY UP!

So there are four thoughts. The movie was very meh.

Home Alone on the 4th of July...

2010-07-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

The last of my family left for a 4th of July party. I am staying home. This is the first year I can remember that I didn't go to the annual baseball game at a friend's house or the huge fireworks display at another friend's. Tonight is just me and my goats and Wolverine. My kitten Wolverine, not the X-Men movies.

So my plans are to do barn chores and then walk to the neighbor's house to feed her cats. Then come home and glue my mind to the keyboard. There is an epic fantasy story awaiting me... :)

Happy 4th to my American friends! And happy random-day-in-July to my good friend Roseberry. :)

Wins and Losses on July 2nd

2010-07-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd count up today's wins and losses.

Wins:
Got another few pages written in my book. It was a very epic scene.
Getting three T-shirts and a bag of M&Ms for $7. The shirts were half off, and then I had a 15% off coupon on top of that. Yay!
Having a steak waiting for me at home. Yum!

Losses:
A chipmunk introduced itself to my truck's tire on my way to work. ;'(
It's difficult to wash your face in the shower while you're still wearing your glasses. *facepalm*

AAAAAAAgaspAAAAAAAAgaspAAAAAAAHHHH

2010-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

The title roughly translates to: "This is July? Shouldn't it be April still? My, how time flies!"

So today is the Lego Man's birthday. He shouldn't be 17. He should be 12. Seriously.

Ever felt like life is running away and you realize you'll never catch up? Oh, well. Happy birthday, my dear baby brother. Your "little big sister" loves you!

An Invitation for you!

2010-06-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

You are invited to join me for Daniel's Feast, for the entire month of June. Click on the link for more details and to join up!

All Was Quiet on the Homefront

2010-06-29T09:41:00.000-07:00

...Except for the phone ringing, people talking, tractors running...

The hay is cut. It's been fluffed into rows. The Brain is on the baler. Soon we will have lovely rows of bales lining the field.

But our bales are rectangle and MUCH smaller. I thought the picture was cute. :-)

And this year, we won't be pulling 13 hours in the field on my birthday, like we've done before (Seriously, birthdays at the end of June...). Because today is my birthday and the hay is just starting to get baled. :-)

Please let me pause to explain Haying. Haying is, I'm sure, recognized as a national holiday. If it isn't, it should be. The observation of this holiday is nearly always the same, and I will write it out here for you if you would like to participate. This annual bonding of mankind and his tractor is looked forward to every summer and reminisced every fall/winter/spring.

Day One: A tractor and mower are dispatched into the field, and grass is cut. The driver of the tractor will often receive burns from the sunlight as this is far too rugged a job to wear sunscreen.
Day Two: Again, the tractor is dispatched, but this time to fluff up the hay and make it into lots of cute little rows. The sun will then bake the grass until it is dry. It will also bake the driver of the tractor, but oh, well... Farmer's tan, yanno.
Days Three-End of Holiday: When the grass is deemed dry enough by an elder member of the family, it is scooped up by a machine and processed into bales. A truck driver (usually the youngest child or a lady member of the family) will putter along with a flatbed trailer while family and neighboring menfolk (and strong womenfolk) "buck" bales onto the trailer.
A leader is chosen by the "crew" to be the one to stack hay. This is a crucial part of the ceremony; the stacker must make tight stacks so bales do not fall from the trailer on the drive back to the barn. However, if a stack falls, there is a special ceremony: First, there is the blame and demotion of the stacker. Then the pile of hay on the ground is thrown back onto the trailer. Occasionally, there may be a ceremonial "strapping" of the stack. This is accomplished by the tallest members of the crew tossing straps over the stack and tying them down.
The noon meals on these last days are also of longstanding tradition. Hamburgers, Coke, and Mug Root Beer.
On these days, it is customary for sunscreen to be worn, as there are often womenfolk on the crew and they insist on the men wearing it, also. Rugged though they may be, the lady driving the truck is the keeper of the water bottles, sunflower seeds, and brake pedal, so it's best to make her happy. :)

The end of the holiday is celebrated with high-fives all around and promises to come back the following year.

Go forth and celebrate summer, my friend!

I believe I have earned some brownie points...

2010-06-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Mother left me specific instructions that I was not to touch the laundry until she got home this evening. There were delicate things that she was in the middle of washing, and under no circumstances was I to come near them.

The Lego Man called a bit ago to say that he NEEDED a certain pair of jeans cleaned NOW! Really? *sigh*

So Cora washed them. In a pot. In the sink. And hosed them off outside. Now they are drying.

In other news:
I went to see my "disfingered" friend, Clint, yesterday, and he was doing very well. His hand/arm was bandaged to the elbow, so thankfully, I didn't have to see the wounds. He re-told us the story of what happened, and it was way worse than I heard originally.

Please pray/send good thoughts to him and his family. The poor guy is so bored having to lie there on the couch. He's one of those hyper must-work-from-sunup-to-sundown guys, so doing nothing kills him. His main annoyance through the whole deal was that he'd miss a day of work. *shakes head*

In other, other news:
Today marks the third year since my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Yep, the day before my birthday. :-/ She is now well again, though. :-)

Short Snippits. :)

2010-06-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Since I'm in a whirl of activity this weekend, here's a brief overview:

Yesterday, a friend of mine cut off the tips of some of his fingers. They got him stitched up and sent him home. Today they'll check him out again and then we'll know on Monday if he'll get to keep his fingers. Poor guy. Every time I see him, I say, "So how have you injured yourself lately?" instead of "Whatcha been up to?" :-/

In about an hour, I'll be going to a bazaar in the next village. Should be fun!

Tomorrow is the MCI (multiple casualty incident) drill for the Fire Dept. We had an hour and a half to do moulage makeup on 10+ "victims" (again, squeamish people should not Google "moulage." Moulage is making fake wounds and such.). I'm heading up this area of the drill.

And now I need to go tie up some cheese that's draining. Please pray for Clint's hand if you think about it! And his family. I'm sure they are worried about him.

O... Suns and Skies and Flowers of June?

2010-06-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

I memorized that poem once. "O suns and skies and clouds of June, and flowers of June together, ye cannot rival for one hour October's bright blue weather."

I'm sure that'll be true enough... This year we've seen the sun twice in June. Yesterday and today. For the first time in 9 months, it got to 75 degrees F. October's bound to be better than this "Junuary" we've had. With any luck, we'll get the hay in by the middle of July (It should be in... now.). Oy. The crops are just now getting planted in the fields, and it looks like another wet/cold front may be moving in.

Good thing we're not planning to do anything outdoors on my birthday. It might get pretty wet! :-P

Hehe! Thank goodness I made a caveman-style costume a few days ago, because it looks like the start of another Ice Age!

Unniversary...

2010-06-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today was our "Unniversary."

The Cowboy and I were supposed to get married today, but due to job stuff, we had to postpone it. It leaves a sad and empty feeling to see this day come and go, but I think we'll be better off for waiting...

...Cora told herself optimistically...

Returned from grand adventure!

2010-06-10T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I wish it was grand adventure. In reality, it's just busy. Which makes for a long post. :)

It started with Saturday. I took m'self into work for the morning. It was a gorgeous day, and when I got off work, I headed out to the Cowboy's for the afternoon. We (along with his friend) headed down to the lake for a while. We were sitting there by the lake having a good time, and then the friend announced that he was bored (I should blog-name this friend "Hyper," I think). He decided we'd go on a walk on a trail he knew by the river. So the three of us went down a deer trail through the woods. Of course, I was the only one with shorts on (arg!) and the blackberries were not very nice. But I survived. Obviously.

After that, with much bruising, bloodying, and so forth, we got back to the lake. When we arrived at the Cowboy's parked truck and went to leave, the truck wouldn't start. The Cowboy was about to be very annoyed, but it turned out that another of his friends who was at the lake had monkeyed with something under the hood and when he plugged it back in, the truck was fine.

And then we all went back to the Cowboy's parents' house to have a bonfire. Ended up staying out there until midnight drinking root beer and talking. Then at midnight, we wished the Cowboy a happy birthday. Most of us left and the Cowboy went home. Since I had an hour drive back to my house, I crashed on his mom's couch.

For sure, Sunday was the Cowboy's birthday. It poured rain all day. I thought it was glorious (see blog title... I have a thing for rain), but everyone else complained.

Monday was also glorious, but it was sunny (aw, rats!). The Cowboy had the day off of work, so he came over and we spent the entire day in the barn working on something. And you don't get to know what it is yet! Hahahaha!

Tuesday was the last day of the Fiber Arts class I teach at the community college. I was sad to see all my students go. They were a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know them. After class, I came home and made a big, honkin' piece of felt. You'll see it eventually. I need some yarn and beads to finish the project first.

Ah, yesterday. 5 hours at work as a cashier. By the end of my shift, I could barely walk and couldn't stand still. It was awful. I'm praying fervently that I don't have to stay a cashier for very long. :-/

Which brings us to today! I'm about to visit my goats to milk and then run off to a meeting at a coffee shop in town about the Rosie movie.

***

In between all of that, I've been working on my novel. I'm liking the way it's coming together now. One of my characters is very sick right now, the poor dear. Now that I've mentioned it, I'm dying to get back to my story. But chores first. Chores first... *Cora repeats this phrase over and over...*

Thursday Thirteen: Projects

2010-06-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

As I was sitting here eating leftovers from Dad's restaurant dinner (yes, for breakfast) and wondering who General Tso was and why we are eating his chicken, it occurred to me that it is Thursday! Ack! What to write about? ... Me + Lists = Fail ... Me + Lists + Needing list on certain day = Fail^4736

But I came up with something. Lots of people have "bucket lists" of what they wish to do before they "kick the bucket."

Cora-style bucket list: Before I kick the bucket, I would like to make:

1. A pair of socks, knitted or nalbinded (nalbound? nalbindinged? Whatever. Past tense of nalbinding). I have never made a sock, have tried a bazillion times, and I officially *HATE* using double point needles and knitting in a round. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things... So probably nalbinding.

2. Star Wars Rebel Jumpsuit. I have the fabric and pattern. All that's left is courage.

3. LOTR-style Elvish dress. Again, have the fabric and pattern. It will be out of a velvet fabric with autumn leaves, accented by long sleeves in a brown velvet.

4. Wool cloak. I've made them out of satin, but not wool. May have enough fabric.

5. THIS dress. Wow. Btw, GOOD movie. I'm not one for movies, but look up Pendragon: Sword of His Father. Soon I'll do a review on it (at least, that is the plan).

6. A set of hand-embroidered handkerchiefs for heirlooms.

7. Susan's green dress from The Chronicles of Narnia. I hate the movies/books/CSLewisInGeneral, but the dress is to die for.

8. Civil War era dress with hoop skirt. Oh, yeah.

9. A better corset. Mine is good, but I want a better one.

10. Weave another basket. A better one. Mine is pitiful.

11. Carve something fabulous, instead of just making hazelnut shells into miniature plates/bowls.

12. Make a huge piece of felt and make a tunic out of it. I may have enough wool for that.

13. Make costumes for a movie. Someday... Ah, someday... :)

For more Thursday Thirteen, go HERE!

Wordless Wednesday: Memememe! I wanna play, Dad!

2010-06-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Give-Away at Hannah's!

2010-06-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

There's a give-away going on at Hannah's blog! Go check it out! The winner gets fabric and a pattern. All you sewing ladies (or gentlemen, I suppose) go over and enter!

First Day of Daniel's Feast

2010-06-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of Daniel's Feast. At the moment, it's me, the Cowboy, and possibly Christine's family.

I've been informed that there is already a Daniel's Fast where, I guess, you eat only vegetables(?) and water. I'm not going to do that (although I am trying to give up my addiction to coffee, but that's been a long time trying and nothing to do with this event). This is purging the things I do that make me impure as a follower of Christ. Click HERE to see more details.

Today's reading assignment: Read something from my beloved book of James. Pick a passage and report back with what you read. :)

No Real Post For Today...

2010-05-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Just too tired to think.

Thursday Thirteen: Pictures of (Mostly) Old Fashioned Stuff

2010-05-27T13:11:00.000-07:00

Three fabrics I've gotten at thrift stores. Why, however did you guess I love old-fashioned plaid and brown?

Close-up of the newest fabric (left, in the picture above)

Inkle loom, used for weaving belts/straps:

A felted cord (which I will make into a belt), which I supposed is old-fashioned because the general population has never seen felt in any form other than those little sheets you buy at craft stores.

Hurricane lamps with *surprise!* plaid bows. :-P I hope the picture comes out for you. My computer screen is wonky anyway, so I don't know if it's bright enough for you.

Quill pen. We cheated and stuck the guts of a ball-point pen in it so that it will actually write. My *real* honest-to-goodness quill pen with interchangeable tips and bottles of ink is put away. Rats and phooey!

My hope chest, which belonged to one of my grandmothers. Isn't it the most beautiful ever? :)

And the book, hat, and cloth doily. Embroidery on the doily done by my bosom friend, Laura.

Old Swedish (I believe) hymnal on top of a German calender book.

Sewing machine we got in England (2003) at a boot sale.

"Book"shelf:

Bench and desk with a woven tapestry showing pictures of prominent places in the county.

I've begun to realize that few people have home libraries anymore. Here's part of my family's home library. There are many other bookcases around the house. And stacks of books everywhere...

Nalbinding/Naalbinding/Nålbinding around a pencil to make the arm of a miniature glove:

That should be 13! For more Thursday Thirteen, go HERE. But first- one more picture, just because my darling Jerusha is so stinkin' cute!

This Report Just In

2010-05-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Movie filming for the "history" of the band Rosie and the Posers is being re-started in July.

I am very excited, because 1. the project was about to be shut down due to it turning into more than just a Saturday-afternoon-shoot-don't-sweat-it movie, and 2. they still want me to be on the crew!

My job is to do what's called moulage. If you are faint of heart/stomach, don't google that word. Essentially what it is: fake cuts, bruises, abrasions, etc. I also do it for the Fire Department for their drills.

For Rosie and the Posers, the main character is starving to death, as the city-raised-widow-turned-farmer's house burned down, she has no one around to help her, and it's the middle of winter in the 1800s. I have to make her look a little yellow, with some shadow under the cheekbones to make her cheeks look a little sunken. Then she trips and falls, getting some scrapes and bruises on her face and hands. So that's what I will be designing and applying.

It's about the closest I come to doing art. ;-)

So when I mention Rosie or "the movie," you now know what it is.

There's a Hole in My Bucket, Dear Liza...

2010-05-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

There's no real significance behind the song in the title. It just happens to be stuck in my head. By the way, do you know that song? I started singing it while at the Cowboy's house, and they all looked at me like I was mad. I thought everyone knew "There's a Hole in My Bucket."

My "surrogoat" children are growing up. 6 weeks old. Wow. Doesn't seem like that long ago I was down there with the nanny Joanna giving birth to tiny, little Gareth Joraiem and Jerusha Rielle. But the children are reminding me daily of how much they're growing. They destroy their little hay-fort-pen EVERY day. You have no idea how much I can't wait until they're too big to escape the hillside pen and I can get them out of the barn and out of my hair. Literally.

We have a bazillion little calves now. And there will be pictures of various baby creatures at some point so you can "awwwwww" over them.

As a side thought, I took the new kitten out to meet some of the older cats. The Blimp (fat, old, yellow cat) thought kitten was a bit of a novelty and cute. However, my cat Joshua (His Majesty, the .~*Self-Proclaimed Supreme Ruler of the Universe*~.) thought kitten was a shameful offering from his human pets, and please take it away, because I find it offensive and irritating, thankyouverymuch. *sigh* Cats...

In other news, not animal-related, I tried out naalbinding. I got a handle on the basics with yarn and a huge-ish, wooden needle. Now, when Cora learns something, the first thing she does is make it miniature. SO! I've almost finished a fingerless glove that is 1/5" across at the wrist. A little less than a centimeter. Yes, I'm crazy. News #2: I felted myself a belt. News #3: Yesterday, I found 4 yards of some beautiful, brown, high quality wool fabric (plaid) from New York... for $4.00 at a thrift store. Win! :)

Flashback #2: For all who have difficulty converting units

2010-05-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

I am posting a series of fun "Flashback" posts from my old blog.

For all who have difficulty converting units

September 8, 2007

Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi

2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton

1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope

Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond

Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram

Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong

16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling

1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz

Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower

Shortest distance between two jokes = A straight line

453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake

1 million- microphones = 1 megaphone

2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles

365.25 days = 1 unicycle

2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds

52 cards = 1 decacards

1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 Fig Newton

1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen

1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche

1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin

10 rations = 1 decoration

100 rations = 1 C-ration

2 monograms = 1 diagram

4 nickels = 2 paradigms

2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital = 1 IV League

:-)

A Character Survey

2010-05-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

What I always do on this blog when I am tagged with a meme is choose a character from one of my stories to answer them. As Cora Beth did an open tag meme, I took it, and one of my book characters will answer.

Character answering: Ti'al Miera, from the book Sister Súlier

1. Which do you prefer–Apples, Oranges, or Bananas?
I've never had a banana or orange before, but apples are good! Perfect snack on a late summer day.

2. How many siblings do you have?
I'm a single child.

3. Where do you live–a prairie, Woodland, city, or other?
We live in the woodlands high in the mountain border of the country. Far from cities.

4. What are some things you enjoy doing with your family?
I enjoy hunting, fishing, and weapons training with Ata [father] and singing with Ama [mother]. I hunt, fish, and fight better than I sing. But being Ata's only child, that should be expected.

5. Is your room clean?
Nothing here is clean. Tidy yes, but never clean. When you have a dirt floor, everything tends to get dirt on it.

6. Which would you prefer to visit–Italy, Greece, France, Spain, or England?
I suppose it's a toss-up between Italy and England. I've been told that Italy has good food, and England has grand palaces. I would see a palace before I die. Nothing do I know about the other countries.

7. What is a scripture that encourages you?
A scripture? I don't know what a scripture is. But if you want to know something that encourages me... Ama encourages me, Ata encourages me, my friends encourage me... Everything in the world encourages me!

8. Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans?
Why, chocolate, thank you!

9. What are your favorite types of books?
I canna' read.

10. Which is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Ah, your ice cream cannot beat what Ama makes. And we have no flavors to use.

11. If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be?
There are types of food? Do you mean like only bread or only meat or only tea? I would have to choose meat. It's hard to work hard on only bread or tea. Meat sees you through the day.

12. Are you an outside or an inside person?
Outside, all year-round, all day and part of night. I don't like walls. Ama does everything inside, I do everything outside, and Ata works in the forest.

13. What chore(s) do you like to do the most?
Anything outdoors.

One More Cup of Coffee, Please!

2010-05-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

I need just one more cup of coffee, and then I'll go down and milk. ;-)

The pot is almost done brewing. Oh, yeah.

I brought my lovely goat cheese to my friends' house yesterday, and all the ladyfolk decided it was divine and so I left them some culture and stuff for it. They shall be making their own very shortly.

But that's not the point of this post. My friends rent a little spot in a local antique store. They sell all sorts of beautiful hand-made things. While at their house, I noticed some hurricane lamps sitting there on the counter with matching little plaid bows and price tags.

They still work, and they were little and cute, and so I bought them and took them home. Now when I have my own house and the power goes out, I will have hurricane lamps to light my house, as they are brighter (and safer) than candles.

My collection of "stuff for my house" is growing. Everyday dishes, pots and pans, casserole dishes, cast iron pans, kitchen utensils, pressure canner, picture frames, books (specifically children's books), blankets, electronics... My parents are ready for me to leave and take my stuff with me. ;-)

I just drank down the last bit of coffee, so I will go attend to my dear goats.

I Had to Smile

2010-05-24T07:40:00.000-07:00

Mrs, D., a dear friend and "second mom" to me, was scared to death of home-made goat cheese. Not because of an "Eeek! It's not from the store! It's not safe!" or whatever. She's been a goat mama for a bazillion years, drinks the milk raw, etc. just like me. So why the problem with cheese? Welllll...

Once upon a time, a friend invited Mrs. D. to her house. The friend said, "Oh, you must try my goat cheese! It's the most amazing thing in the world!" So Mrs. D. went to visit. The friend chattered about how easy cheese was. Why, all you do is leave the milk on the counter until the cream separates (for those unfamiliar, goat milk cream doesn't separate naturally from milk for, oh, WEEKS!) and then you cook it up with stuff and it gloms into cheese! So easy!

Mrs. D. had to eat it to be polite, of course. How do you gracefully say, "HA! I ain't touchin THAT with a 10-foot-pole!" So she did. And it was the worst thing she'd ever eaten.

She officially swore off eating goat cheese.

And then Saturday happened. I came to the D house for a small gathering of friends, with a batch of chevre cheese that I'd flavored with some dill, onion powder, garlic powder, and whatever else smelled good, so that we could dip veggies in it. Turned out that we girls all nattered too much to eat, and by the time the visit was over, we'd completely forgotten that we were going to have snacks! So sadly I picked up the cheese and went my way, knowing I'd missed an opportunity to have the D family try GOOD cheese.

Well.

Yesterday, Mrs. D. sent me an email saying that she and the oldest daughter snitched some while we weren't looking, and WOW! It was so GOOD! And now Cora MUST come over and teach them!

So today, I will put on my chef's hat and teach cheesemaking! :-)

Garage Sale Scavengers: The Plunder

2010-05-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

Doesn't that title sound like a great name for an adventure movie? Doesn't it? No? Oh, well... I tried to make it interesting.

Firstly, yesterday we had a birthday party for my dear Grandma, as she turned 80. Friends came over, and we had a lovely lunch and tea. I would post pictures, but I don't like posting pictures of people without their permission. Oh, well... :(

Secondly, as the title of this post suggests, Mom and I went garage sale-ing. It's a Friday tradition for Mom and Dad to go on dates and hit all the garage sales in town. Dad had a volunteer job to get done, so this time, it was me with Mom! Some things we got:

Oh, yeah. My brothers are jealous. $5, and the price tag on this brand new beauty said $40.

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? I was so thrilled when I saw a pile of them sitting there getting sold. I snatched up one of those puppies in a second! And the best part? Copyright 1969 - before people went though and politically correctified all the hymns. I took pictures of the proof:

Battle Hymn of the Republic. Modern 4th verse: "As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free." See the original word in the picture.

Apparently someone thought it was offensive to suggest that we be willing to die for what we think is right.

Next song. At the Cross. Modern 1st verse: "Would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?"

I suppose someone's feelings were hurt at having to admit that they are a worm.

Aaaaaaanyway, moving on... (Can you tell I am against politically correctified hymns?)

The last thing we got:

It's a really pretty set of gold-plated flatware. Mom thought it was a good deal, because if each piece was worth $2, we'd still come out with a smokin' deal. So we got home, and I did some Googling. Each piece sells for upwards of $20. Some even $100. Smokin' deal? Yeah, I think so.

Then I went and took care of my goats and babes. One of the Cowboy's favorite goatlets, Jacen, jumped into a board and broke off his little horn stub. The poor little sweetie... :( I was instructed to put cayenne pepper on to stop the bleeding, so I had Mom bring some down. While we were waiting, the Cowboy carried his poor baby around, petting it and talking to it... I think it was a more traumatic event for the Cowboy rather than the goatlet. Jacen was happy as a clam the whole time.

And now I'm way late on chores, so I must bid you farewell.

A Give-Away!

2010-05-21T08:13:00.000-07:00

My very dear friend, Jocelyn, is hosting a give-away on her blog! Go HERE to enter for a gorgeous tea cozy!

(This is the one I chose. It's called "Afternoon Tea.")

Go on and enter! :)

Thursday Thirteen: Songs that I love

2010-05-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

A day late, but whatev'... ;-) I thought it'd be fun.

And this is a game! Guess-the-title by the pictures! A little hint: Most of these are old hymns and the picture corresponds to either the title or the first line of a verse. And the great part is, if you're wrong in your guess, you may remind me of songs I love and haven't listened to in a long time! So guess away, because we both win!

1.

10.

11.

Aaaaaaaand, I'm going to stop at 11. Whew! That was a lot of picture searching. Go ahead! Guess away!

Wordless Wednesday: Me, The Cowboy, and a wild rabbit

2010-05-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Shibori 101

2010-05-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Cora had a piece of white cotton cloth. Very high quality white cotton cloth. But she didn't really want white, you know? Something colored would be fabulous. So she got out her thread, a stencil, and a wash-off-able fabric marker. She didn't embroider. She Shibori-ed. Observe:

(You can click the pictures to make them bigger, by the way)

Now pull all those threads tight to scrunch up the fabric so that dye can't reach the scrunched parts!

Now repeat 5 bazillion times. Cora also put on little "bubbles" by pinching little bits of fabric and tightly wrapping thread around the pinched part.

Now you dye. Mwahahaha... *baptizes fabric in indigo* *twice*

When you are finished with that, you grab your favorite Cowboy and make him pull out all the stitches with you. At least, that's what Cora did, and it worked out fabulously.

And you continue speaking about yourself in third person because... well... Do you need a reason for everything?

This is what you end up with. Butterflies and bubbles!

Now Cora will hem the two non-selvage sides and wear this new Tichel that she made.

Prayer Request

2010-05-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my grandpa announced that my uncle is dying of pancreatic cancer. I knew he was a little sick-ish, but no one told me it was like... BAD sick. Could you all pray for peace for him and my aunt, please? I don't know if he is a believer.

Thank you.

Lightbulb Clicks On Blended Fabrics

2010-05-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

I was thinkin' about Deuteronomy 22:11, where YHVH tells His people that it is against the law to wear fabrics woven with diverse fibers, like wool and linen together. For a minute or two, I sat there thinking, "That's kind of random... What's so wrong with blended fabrics? Why is it against the law?" I'm a firm believer in God having reasons for all of his laws for Isra'el. So I go to thinking of it then. And this is what I thought up.

A few possibilities from my knowledge of cloth:

1. They are treated differently - Wool can't be at a high temperature or it will felt when wet or burn. Linen, on the other hand, gets wrinkled up and needs ironing. With a blended fabric, you can't iron the linen flat.
2. Different pHs. Animal fibers (like wool, silk, etc) like to be slightly acidic. If you put a little vinegar into the wash-water when you was them, they'll stand up a lot better. Plant fibers (like cotton and linen), on the other hand, will break down in acid. They like slightly basic solutions. With both together, you will invariably have weak parts with the acidic animal fibers woven with sensitive plant fibers. The integrity of the fabric is drastically weakened.
3. Take dye differently. You use different mordants (pre-dye solutions) to prepare the fabric for dye, and they take color radically different. So you have an uneven, mismatching dye that will fade out of one fiber (because you had to use a mordant that was bad for one of the two fibers).
4. Washing techniques. If you wash wool and linen together, the wool will shrink and the linen will stay straight. The result is a pebbly texture that is uncomfortable to wear.
5. Warmth differences. Linen is breathable, but wool will keep you warm. The mingled garment is pointless. Some parts of you will be warm, and other parts cold. Do you wear it in the summer or winter? I'd rather have all linen in the summer and all wool in the winter.

Who knew? Oh, yeah! Our God!

Have any more things to add to my list? This was all just off the top of my head in the last 10 minutes. If you've studied this at all, I welcome your comments!

God Knows Our Needs... And Gives Us Gallon Glass Jugs

2010-05-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Last week, Grandpa was down at the local plant sale at the Grange Hall selling bazillions of plants. A neighbor called me up to ask if Grandpa might be interested in getting some plant trays that a friend was going to take to the dump. I said I didn't know, but y'all go down to the Grange and ask. So they did!

Now, I know all two of you reading this are thinking to yourself, "Why is Cora telling me about plant trays for her grandpa? I thought she said 'glass jugs' in the title. What's she been smoking?"

Cora is here to tell you that she's only smoked once, and that was when she caught her hair on fire leaning over a candle. Hopefully that will never happen again. She's going to tell you about the jugs! In just a second.

Yesterday, Cora was surveying our stock of jugs to hold milk in. She needed to use some gallon-size to hold a greatly expanding supply of milk, but we only have a few and they're hard to pour out of, because they're just pickle jars with no spout. If you know Cora, you know that spells trouble. So Cora whined and complained to herself and didn't use them. She went over to her grandpa's house to do a little dusting and mopping. On the way, she stopped to look at the new shed her grandpa and The Brain were building. She wandered inside. Lo and behold! ~20 of these!

Gallon size with a handle and pour spout! Lucky day!

Now, if only Cora could borrow some. In the midst of mopping and dusting, she mentioned her dilemma to Grandpa and asked if perhaps she could borrow some. He informed her that he'd no use for ANY of them. They were given to him by some lady who was taking plant trays to the dump and stopped by the plant sale last week to give him the trays ($300 worth of trays, btw).

God was listening to Cora's whining and complaining, and he'd fulfilled her need a week prior! We have such a great and caring Abba.

We're out of badgers. Would you accept a Wolverine in it's place?

2010-05-11T18:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we got a new addition to the family from a neighbor. The Lego Man FINALLY got a pet of his own, poor guy. So he brought the little babe home and pretty much hasn't stopped talking about/looking at/playing with it since.

Introducing: The Wolverine.

He's cute and adorable and LOUD!

I Gots Me Some Culture, Yo

2010-05-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

I thought I had plenty of culture before. Why, once I read the entire Reader's Digest version of Jane Eyre! How much more cultured can you get?

But, apparently that kind of culture is not what you need when making cheese. You need moldy-type cultures (could'a fooled me... I sure thought Jane Eyre was moldy).

So my dear mother just finished ordering some cheesy cultures (Chevre and one other) and butter muslin online. It will not be long before there will be a bounty of cheese in my home!

Although it won't look quite like those ^^ ...They'll be more crumbly and fresh and yummy. You get the idea. :) My dad says I will soon be "The Cheese Whiz." Um... Thanks, Dad...

Another bright part of today: my face is not quite so swollen today. One side is all purply-bruised, though. Ouch.

Proverbs to Remember

2010-05-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love Proverbs. Here are a few I read in the past couple of days.

Interpersonal Communication:
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Peace in the Home:
Proverbs 15:17
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

What Seems Right:
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

And one that I just found last night...

Voting Advice: (I added the italics for emphasis)
Proverbs 24:21-22
My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Have a blessed Sunday!

Daniel's Feast

2010-05-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

For the entire month of June, I will be hosting an event. Family-friendly -- in fact, I strongly encourage whole families to attend! It popped into my head as I was reading Daniel 1 a few days ago. He asked to not be fed the king's dainties [food] to keep himself from being defiled. That gave me this idea, and I am calling it Daniel's Feast, for he was stronger and healthier than the others at the end. For the month of June, I am putting away "dainties" of a different sort. I will be:

*Putting away all books and reading only the Bible (I'm making a small allowance made for the books I'm writing, and if you have books for school/work, of course you may study them!)
*Giving time every day for prayer. Remember the persecuted Church! Our brothers and sisters risk their lives daily to follow Christ - Never forget them!
*Not listening to/singing any music that isn't a sweet savour to God
*Not watching secular movies.

If you live a lifestyle where you already live the things in the above list, don't feel left out! Join us as a prayer warrior and encourager! Remember - One of the greatest blessings is coming alongside and helping others.

After 10 days, we (I? We?) will analyze what happened during the fast from secular life and see if any improvements can be made. Post about what you read! Post your prayer requests and praises! Use your blog to draw us closer into the Word! Don't have a blog? Leave me a comment saying how you're doing!

Daniel's Feast isn't something someone "big and important" decided to do... just little ol' me...

Anyone with little ol' me?

If you are, how 'bout you post about it on your blog so we can get more people on board. This could be lots of fun and full of encouragement! It will also strengthen the family of God over the world as we lift up the persecuted Church.

My New Mission In Life!

2010-05-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered the perfect profession for me! Join up with Alvin and the Chipmunks and sing Munk Rock! Because...

According to my family, I look like chipmunk. Looking in the mirror, it looks like I'm holding a watermelon in my mouth. And that's about what it feels like. Ugh. I didn't realize that my face makes a perfect rectangle when it's swollen. Interesting.

Mighty Mike is down milking for me. He's even walking them out to the hillside to graze them. Yesterday, The Brain tried milking. Poor ol' city-boy has never milked before (the other day when he went down, he just bottle-fed the babes; he didn't actually learn to milk). So after about five minutes, we got a phone call from him: "Mom, I can't do it!" So my dear city-mom went down, assessed the situation, and called Grandpa, who finally milked the goats. Needless to say, I did not ask The Brain to milk last night. I asked The Cowboy to. The Cowboy is a fabulous goat dad. After he fed the babies dinner, he took two of them for the mile-long walk to the end of the driveway and back ("Gotta get their little muscles built up!"), then snuggled with the two babies that didn't want to go for the walk. I'm going to give him Jacen and Gary for "lawnmowers," and I'll keep Jerusha. Just in case you wanted to know.

I'm going to go re-heat my rice pudding now...

~Miss. Chipmunk

On Teen-agers

2010-05-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

I hear remarks on "teen-agers" a lot, from songs and movies to people making statements around me. These comments are to these effects: "Teen-agers naturally will be thinking of dark, depressing things." "Teen-agers just do strange [dark] things." "They're teen-agers. Of course they're rebellious." "I dread my sweet, little children becoming teen-agers --Teens are monsters!" "Teen-agers will never get along with anyone younger or older than them. It won't happen, and it doesn't need to happen. They live in their own little world, and eventually they will come out of it."

Come again?

Now, my knowledge of the average American "teen-aged" girl is somewhat lacking, because I grew up around non-average American "teen-aged" girls. Here are examples of our non-averageness: We had and shared too much joy to be depressed or ponder things of darkness and evil, and there was significant peer pressure among us.

I'm of the belief that peer pressure is a GOOD thing. Just as long as you have the right kind of peers. I Corinthians says that bad company corrupts good morals. For my friends and I, there was (and is) pressure to be respectful. To be obedient. To always put others ahead of yourself. To be reserved and quiet when around adults. To speak only of God-pleasing subjects. To be good role models to younger children and involving ourselves in their lives to lead them toward a strong relationship with the Lord. Not to draw unnecessary attention to yourself. To be pure and holy, set apart to God.

I suppose my question-for-thought of the day is: Who are your peers? What do they encourage you to do? Do they encourage you to draw closer to the Lord or push yourself away from Him? Think carefully about each and every bosom-friend you have.

And my encouragement to parents is this: Teach your young children to select as bosom-friends only people who are uplifting and honourable, and when they grow into their so-called "teens," they will have the strength of their bosom-friends to bring them through the darts of Satan. There is a reason that there is no night in Heaven: All darkness is of Satan. In the end, it is your son and daughter's decision which path to take, but if they are brought up with you (the parents) and bosom-friends who are strong in the Lord, they will be less likely to stray. Yet another reason to homeschool.

For a sword drill exercise, here a few verses to look up: (Yes, I did mean now, and I did mean all of them. It'll take you a minute to grab your Bible and then a couple of minutes to look them up... And that was five minutes of your day. You have five minutes, right?)

Dwelling in the joy of the Lord: I Thessalonians 5:16
Respecting elders: Leviticus 19:32
On bad company: I Corinthians 15:33, Ephesians 5:6-7
On obedience to parents: Ephesians 6:1
Placing others above yourself: Philippians 2:4, Mark 9:33-35
For ladies to be reserved and quiet, not drawing attention: I Timothy 2:9-12, Philemon 2:3-8
Speaking and thinking of God-pleasing subjects: Philemon 2:8, 2:12, Colossians 3:8-9, Ephesians 5:22-32, Philippians 4:7-8
To be set apart and holy: Philemon 2:14 (I love his phrasing in KJV: "a peculiar people"), II Corinthians 5:17
Training up a child: Proverbs 22:6

Have some more verses to add? Give ME a sword drill!

It's Keeping Me In Stitches!

2010-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

The wisdom teeth surgery went very well, and I'm in very little pain. Just a bit of swelling, but ice is helping that. Drinking some lovely, warm chicken broth from a mug. Wow. Yum. I love this stuff. Not eating for nearly a whole day helped that, though. My dear mother has made mention of giving me a cherry smoothie soon...

And The Cowboy, Dad, and The Brain are being dears and milking my goats for me.

Love my family and my Cowboy. :)

Thursday Thirteen: Reasons I Quit Facebook

2010-05-06T07:23:00.000-07:00

I deleted my facebook two weeks ago. 13 reasons why:

1. I didn't like knowing what everyone was up to.
2. I didn't like everyone knowing what I was up to.
3. Blogging is way more fun.
4. Too many pictures of me online.
5. Lots of private information revealed by accident.
6. It was awkward knowing what all The Cowboy's friends were doing before he did.
7. If people really want to know what I'm up to, they can make an effort to ask.
8. Drama
      9. Relationship drama
   10. Drama around things people say
            11. It's too easy to shoot your mouth off on facebook.
12. I got to where I didn't have the attention span for anything longer than a status update.
13. Lots of inappropriate material.

What's your Thursday Thirteen?

Pray for me tomorrow? Please?

2010-05-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm just a little, teeny, tiny bit terrified of tomorrow when my mouth gets surgery (no, not to have it sewn shut, as my brothers would like). And they're taking all of my wisdom! Wisdom teeth, that is.

Funny how they came to be named wisdom teeth. Apparently it's because they appear when someone becomes an adult and (theoretically) wise. Some people I was talking to said that they thought wisdom teeth were a sort of insurance plan - if a person did not have good dental care and their teeth fell out, they had a few extra to grow in. They attributed it to evolution, but I think it has something to do with a Creator who planned ahead.

So my insurance plan is being removed tomorrow morning.

*nibbles fingernails*

Update on Mighty Mike

2010-05-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

My brother, Mighty Mike, had a bad concussion on April 4th. He is back almost to normal. He went to see a neurosomebody for a check-up, and they said he should have been MUCH worse off. It's my personal belief that it was because we had literally hundreds of people on their knees praying for him all that afternoon/night.

He has no sense of smell and very little sense of taste (basic sweet, sour, and bitter). The neurosomebody said that it will probably never come back. The bad side: he will never know if there are any bad chemicals in the air until it burns his throat and he won't be able to tell if food is bad. The good side: he'll eat his veggies because he can't taste them.

Please pray he heals completely! I love my brother so much (even though he hides in dark corners to jump out and scare me like he did ten minutes ago! Grr!) and I want him to be all better.

Monday, Monday...

2010-05-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I dreamed up a brand spankin' new character and developed a story around her. It occurred to me that there are plenty of stories about peasanty girls who suddenly discover that they will be the next princess, so they must learn to adapt to life at court.

So I said to myself, "Self! You should write a book where a princess/other noble lady must adapt herself to life as a peasant nobody."

The main character is one of the "nobodys" that the princess is sent to live with (the nobodys are told that she is there to escape a wave of assassinations in the palace, but really there is a more sinister reason). The baby manuscript is 9 pages long now. We'll see how this turns out. Don't worry... There will be lots of adventure and danger. *rubs hands together*

***

And now a picture for your viewing pleasure. She's a little elf I made out of clay a few years ago.

A Self Portrait

2010-05-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

I "drew" this picture of myself in 2007 while on a trip to Boston.

***

The frame of this picture is maple wood.

She is sitting at a table in front of a window. You can just make out the Atlantic Ocean beyond her. It is flat and gray, meeting seamlessly with the overcast sky at the horizon. Steam rises from the brown mug cupped in her hands. She holds the rim of the mug so that it almost touches her parted lips. A soft, brown hat on her head is pulled down on her forehead, covering her hair. The sleeves of her brown jacket have fallen away from the worn, wrinkled hands that seem to belie the youthfulness of her pale face. There is peacefulness, a calm serenity, in her eyes.

***

I hope you liked it. :-)

Yaaaaaaaawn...

2010-05-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't been up until 2 in the morning since that one night that Mom couldn't turn off 24. Last night, my brothers returned home between 9:30-10 and we watched movies until 2.

Now I have concluded that Wolverine is the coolest mutant ever.

This also means that morning church service is NOT happening for me. I have to get up at 5:30 for milking/chores, drive an hour, and get there by 9. So I will go to my other church this afternoon after work (Yes, I have to work on Sundays sometimes).

Need... coffee... *zonk*

Nothin' to Report...

2010-05-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yeah.

Dear Cora: Modesty

2010-04-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Note: I will suggest that this is a ladies-only post. Thank you very much! :-)

"I would really enjoy hearing your elaboration on how you view modesty. I am a (16 year old) christian, and I wear both skirts and pants, jeans most of the time.... however, hearing people talk about only wearing skirts and hearing valid, biblical reasons makes me wonder if I should stop wearing pants. haha, that sounds funny. Anyways, I would (really, really) love to hear a bible based view on why to wear pants. Thanks a bunch!!"
~Laurel

Dear Laurel,

Firstly, I would like to stress this point: If God has called you to abandon wearing jeans and switch to skirts, do not listen to me. My first reason is unique to me and my life situation, and may never apply to you.

Okay? Okay. On with much talk about clothing and stuff.

1. My dad told me to never, ever, ever wear skirts while doing work around the farm. As a fireman/EMT, he has seen too many people die or be seriously injured from wearing loose clothing (like skirts) around machinery. So in order to obey him, I must not wear skirts working around the farm. He also believes I should not wear skirts in any situation where I might get dirty, like, say, cleaning the house or gardening. So... Only pants at home. So I don't have very many skirts at all. When I'm out of my dad's house and in my own, I will probably continue this rule, as... well... my dad raised me to be uber-safety-conscious. :-)

2. I say I wear men's pants. Why not women's?
*Women's jeans (aside from work-jeans and a few brands of regular jeans) are designed to be sexually attractive. From the fancy stitching/patches/etc. to the cut of the legs, to the use of stretchy fabrics that fit like a second skin to the hips, they are meant to make men look at places they should not.
*Women's sweatpants are also made to hug the body, often with words in inappropriate places. Again, sexual attraction.
*Even the slacks I'm required to wear at work get the wrong kind of attention from male customers.
*Women's shorts - ALL of them are too short/tight/revealing.
*Skorts - Don't get me started. It looks like a wrap mini-skirt. So what if there are shorts underneath? No one knows that. They see a flappy, little mini-skirt.
*Men's pants - They don't style for sexual attraction, because most women don't get a high off of seeing men in tight pants. They style for coverage and comfort. I'm willing to take teasing and put-downs to cover my body and ward off the stares of others. I value The Cowboy too much to purposely make myself "used goods" when I marry him.

3. Shirts - I know Laurel didn't ask about shirts, but I'll throw this in just for kicks and giggles.
*I strongly avoid V-necks and wraps (even with a shirt underneath), as they draw the gaze of the beholder down to regions he should not be ogling.
*Words and decorations on the front must be big enough for the beholder to understand without intently studying.
*Necklines: Nothing lower than 1.5" below the collarbone for me, please. I have been known to wear something lower than that (slightly lower, not "Yikes!" lower), but as a general rule? No.
*Quoting Miss Jocelyn Dixon, "Tight enough to show you're a woman, but loose enough to show you're a lady." Nearly every Christian young lady I know looks poured into her shirt. It makes me ill.
*Sleeveless is iffy.
*Shoulderless/strapless are OUT OF THE QUESTION. Period.

4. Bathing suits. Again, Laurel didn't ask, but I'll go ahead.
*There are no modest bathing suits in my book. If I don't feel comfortable wearing something in my grandmother's living room for tea, I will not wear it in public at all. I wear long shorts and a black T-shirt over a bathing suit when I swim (in case the shirt comes un-tucked, you know).

There's all the TMI you could ever want. ;-)

Thursday Thirteen: Names That I Like 2

2010-04-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

For today's Thursday Thirteen, I'm posting girl names I like. Last week, I did boy names. These are names that just strike my fancy at the moment, not ones I'm planning on using for kids or whatever. ;-)

1. Brigitte
2. Honoria
3. Jess
4. Katherine
5. Lorelei
6.Lysandra
7. Maxine
8. Milly
9. Svetlana
10. Tanya
11. Tess
12. Tzeitel
13. Wendy

Linked over HERE. What is a list of 13 things you want to post?

My Dear Mother and the Meaning of Life

2010-04-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

The meaning of life is not 42. It's very far from 42. My dear mother is convinced that we exist for no purpose other than cleaning the kitchen. How we came to discover this:

Cora: "Where should I put the Weck?"
Dear Mother: "You can clear off the counter over there... Actually, it might help to clean the whole kitchen first!"
Cora: "You ALWAYS think cleaning the kitchen helps. If I was going to do a sewing project in the basement, you'd tell me that it would help to clean the kitchen first!"
Dear Mother: "Well... it would! You're not going to escape from cleaning the kitchen. When you're 80, you'll still be cleaning the kitchen!"
Cora: "Douglas Adams was wrong, then. The meaning of life is NOT 42! It's cleaning the kitchen!"

I did get the dishwasher unloaded, reloaded, counters cleared... and then commenced baking... So it really doesn't look like I cleaned at all. Guess what I have to go do now!

Embrace the cleaning of the kitchen. It IS your destiny.

:-/

Well, Knock Me Over With a Feather!

2010-04-28T07:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this headline:

Calif. county bans toys in kids' meals in attempt to cut fat

Really? Where's a wall. I need a wall... *smacks head against it*